STRIKER NEEDED!

.................Smithies
Hunt.....McCombe.....Cooper.....Woods
............Johnson.....Gobern
Ward..........McDermott..........Roberts
...................Novak

Johnson was the piece missing from the midfield so we're sorted in that area now, a great bit of business as far as I'm concerned, as long as he is back to full fitness and performing as well as he did last season. The experience of him alongside the energy of Gobern should be a brilliant backbone for the more attacking players to play in front of.

P.S. I still think we're just lacking a striker to have a great team at this level. Afobe is still an Arsenal player at this point in time, surely we will at least be making enquiries as far as he's concerned?

Cas

your side is foolish.

Why play Woods who has played most of his games at LB above Naysmith who was outstanding most of last year, and how can you honestly justify the selection of Novak ( a good league 2 striker at best) above Rhodes and Lee.

Rhodes will start the first game of the season and I will give you 100/1 that your starting line up takes the field for the first game of the season and 8/1 that we start any league game, with that 11!!!!!

Just laughed some more no Peter Clarke......

correction Woods has played most of his games at RB I was recovering from falling off my chair.

RW, that's the side I'd like to see picked but obviously it won't. As long as Clarke plays in defence he will continue to manage the team on the field and we will continue to be unorganized at the back. As for Novak, that's simply because I don't properly rate any of our strikers at the minute, as I have mentioned on numerous occasions. Woods has played predominantly right back yes, but he has stated he can use either foot and is just as comfortable at left back. Naysmith was awful towards the back end of last season and it seemed age and injuries had caught up to him - anyone who expects him to be playing week in week out this season is delusional, so I countered that in my selection of Woods.

Please do give me your starting 11, and I'll happily pick faults at that too...

OK my starting 11 not LCs

Bennett
Hunt
Clarke
Cooper
Naysmith
Roberts
Gobern
DJ
Macdermott
Ward 'free role'
Rhodes

As of now.

Clarke is certainly not without his faults but is our best defender by some distance.

Naysmith was awful please list more than 2 performances

No, no, no, DJ is a massive chunk of our wage budget, We have plenty of midfielders, What is Clark playing at ? He is like a teenager playing Championship/football manager on the pc.

Cas - You state "Naysmith had a poor end to the season it looked like age and injuries had finally caught up with him.
And yet you are chuffed that we have Johnson !

we will be lucky to get 20 games out of sick note naysmith. i would prefer another player at lb with naysmith as cover. i like naysmith i really do but when hes out after week 4 of the season for a couple months its just another disruption to the team.

Naysmith was found wanting too many times at the end of last season. You only have to look at both semi final legs to see that anyone with pace and a bit of skill proved too much for him. I don't know a thing about Woods but I would certainly give him a go at LB. As for DJ, if he's recovered fully then not a problem. Will run all day. But for f@cks LC, please address the striking situation. Cody Mac's not coming as would have been done with the Pilks deal. Has anybody heard anything?

who knows...but if we are going 4-5-1 away from home in every match then 3 strikers plus ward/cads is probably, in lee clarks mind, enough..

itll be a combination of novak/rhodes/lee at home for the 2 starting places... i personally wouldnt choose any of the 3 named strikers in the one up front teams, but im not looking to get a draw or perhaps sneak the points..

Loan players....that's where the strikers will come from. LC not trusted to buy anymore seeing as Novak, Robinson, Simpson, Lee etc haven't really cut the mustard...

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

Ward free role?????? How does he track his man if he has a free role?

Why oh why has Clark brought Johnson in?What was the point of Miller being signed? Could Gobern not fulfill the holding midfield role?If you ask me Clark would have been better signing a striker instead of Johnson.

RW...

I don't rate Clarke, he's a good bloke but IMO he isn't a good enough defender to fulfill the role he and Lee Clark obviously want him to play. He is not a commander or an organizer, he gets by purely on his willingness to "take one for the team". He would be great with someone next to him who can play the Rob Page role but we don't have that. I'd much rather see us go with McCombe, who I think is a much more accomplished defender, and someone with pace, which apparently Cooper has. I'll get shot down of course, but I just don't rate Clarke and think he is a weak link in our team that people fail to see because of the obvious courage and honour he shows every week.

You've also chosen Rhodes up front by himself even though he has proven time and time again he can't do that. What attributes does he possess that make you think he'd be a good lone striker, even if he does have Ward behind him (who doesn't have the quality of Afobe to link up play and put goals on a plate for him). I chose Novak as he's the best for that role - possibly along with Lee - one offers running and a willing outlet, whereas the other offers the ability to hold the ball up and bully defenders. Rhodes offers neither, so what would his role be in the team, play 60 minutes and hopefully contribute a goal otherwise not do anything?

Are joey g and Arfield on their way out then? Miller, gobern, McDermott, Johnson and ward signed! Crooks playing quote alot of pre season makes it a very big competition for a starting place!

inter u might be right theyre gonna be surplus to requirements!

It's a ridiculous number of midfielders and all Clark's interviews hint we are going to be playing with 2 upfront and 2 wingers so they are all chasing 2 places. We must be looking to offload Joey and the Miller signing strikes me as daft as that Joker Croft we signed prior to last season. As for giving Atkinson a chance this year, it looks unlikely. Yet again too many signings, however Johnson is the best signing of the lot. As for strikers we have loads of them as well, they just happen to be poor, can't sign anyone else without letting someone go surely.

Quantity not quality, again..Still, they all seemed happy to sit on the bench last season so the money must be okay.
What an absolute waste of DH's cash.

With this signing Lee Clark has signed his own death warrant.

This will be the season of discontent. Mark my words.

Govern has come here to play football. He could have stayed at Soton on the bench. Arfield, Gudjonsson and Johnsnn will be none too happy to sit on the bench or nit even on the bench.

Where does this leave Chris Atkinson?

This just confirms that Clark really has lost his marbles. Come Xmas he'll have lost his job too.

posted 2 hours, 15 minutes ago

I don't rate Clarke.

=======================

TerrierCas, don't you ever call Boots again.

right then these players have to leave the club and soon otherwise things will start getting even sillier


Nathan Clarke
Tom Clarke
Scott Arfield
Joey Gudjohnsson
Robbie Simpson

these players really are now looking completely surplus to requirements. for me Arfield has been the biggest disappointment of the lot

Agree Minty 100% about Arfield just shadow runs with his marker cannot tackle and has no brain ! Simmo has people tweet him that they hope he finds another club so he has gone..I would like to keep Joey out of that lot the rest can go for me pal